


Ohana Means Phantom Thieves

by CinnamonZor



Series: Return to the Island [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Delicious Pancakes, Domestic Fluff, Engaged Shuharu, Engagement, F/M, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, Morning Cuddles, Reflection, Team as Family, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-18 06:43:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21690127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinnamonZor/pseuds/CinnamonZor
Summary: Their return to Hawaii finally nearing its end, Haru wakes on the morning of the fifth to the adorable sight of her new fiance's sleeping face.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Okumura Haru, Kurusu Akira/Okumura Haru, Okumura Haru/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Return to the Island [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563595
Kudos: 33





	Ohana Means Phantom Thieves

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with the title near the end and I loved it too much to not use. Also, I technically finished before Haru's 21st birthday ended, but either way, I still managed to power through in one day and I hope you like it!

Little by little, Haru's consciousness began to return as she gradually exited the world of dreams. The Hawaiian hotel room seemed to slowly materialize around her as she became more aware of the warmth and comfort surrounding her entire being at that moment. She began to feel the soft mattress beneath her as she ever so slightly sunk into its surface, the snug covers resting atop her in defense from the awkward chilliness of the outside world, and the fluffy pillow beneath her head as it joined forces with her already-soft hair. But the primary contributor to the pleasant comfort was none of the elements provided by the hotel. Rather, it came first and foremost from the still-slumbering figure currently wrapped in her arms.

He was the first thing Haru saw as her eyes tiredly fluttered open. The tangled mess of raven curls atop his head tickled as she became more aware of the feeling in her nose. The lean, yet prominent muscles in his arms wrapped around her torso and added to the sense of security, just as her own arms held him close as well. She felt the slow, steady warmth of his breath as it ghosted her neck. She peeked a short distance down at his face to find his eyes remained serenely shut and his lips separated ever so slightly from one another with no conscious effort to keep them together, a soft trace of a smile present in their form.

For a moment, Haru stayed completely still, smiling warmly at the adorable sight before her. Though she and Akira had woken beside each other countless times before, she never got tired of seeing his face as he slept. It was such a beautiful contrast to the face he showed the world outside the few people he trusted enough to remove his mask around. But even among the other Phantom Thieves, the companions they deemed their second family, only she and Morgana consistently bore witness to Akira's sleeping face. It was the height of vulnerability for such a closely-guarded heart, and the thought of such never failed to bring an even brighter smile to Haru's face as she gazed upon the slumbering form of her boyf-

She suddenly paused mid-thought as her mind started catching up to her more recent memories. _That's right,_ she realized. _Did we really…?_

Slowly and cautiously, as to not wake Akira, Haru lifted her left arm from behind him and poked it out from under the covers, squinting a bit to get a good look in the low morning light peeking over the curtains. Just as she suspected, right there on her finger was the ring from a few short days ago, a faint reflective outline gracing the edge of the metal.

 _So it is true,_ Haru thought to herself as she returned her hand to its resting place on Akira's shoulder blade. _We really are engaged now, aren't we?_ She'd gone through the same refresher process every day since Akira had proposed, of course, yet it still felt so unreal to think about every morning. He was her fiancé. She was engaged. And she was _happy_ about it. She finally had a fiancé she was proud to call her own.

In all the time they'd spent together over this vacation, every meal and outing and moment they had together in the days since the proposal, it never seemed to have fully sunken in. And, judging by the soft grin plastered on Akira's face every time Haru caught him stealing glances at the ring, the feeling was entirely mutual. She'd even noticed his eyes become slightly watery a couple times during last night's cuddle session. A vastly preferable alternative to the unsettling leers she'd received during her engagement to the ex-fiancé-who-shall-not-be-named. The dreaded future she'd felt destined to back in high school was long gone; in its place stood a bright alternative that she was determined to hold onto for as long as she lived.

With a warm smile on her face, Haru moved her hand from behind Akira once more to gently brush his bangs out of the way and press a soft kiss to his forehead. Forehead kisses had become a beloved habit of theirs, though Akira carried them out more often due to his slightly taller stature and the lack of bangs standing in the way of Haru's forehead. Her smile grew and she gently hugged him closer to her and nuzzled her face against him, humming contentedly.

It was only a few seconds later when she felt Akira begin to stir. She moved her head back just enough to see his face again as his eyes slowly blinked open. The corners of his mouth slowly stretched into a bigger smile, closing the faint gap between his lips as he sleepily gazed up at Haru.

"Mornin', hon," he mumbled serenely, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. "How you feelin' today…?" Haru chuckled softly and began petting the hair on the back of his head, sighing lovingly into the black bangs tickling her chin.

"Quite well," she replied. "I had the most lovely view this morning."

"Aw," Akira pouted as sarcastically as he could in his groggy state. "Did I ruin it by waking up?"

"Mmm…" the fluffy-haired woman pondered, looking back down at his face. "Certainly not ruined. Just different." Running her hand through the hair on the side of her fiancé's head, Haru moved her face down a bit to gently press their foreheads together. "I doubt much would be capable of ruining such a moment." A slightly stronger exhale came from Akira's nose as a tired chuckle. Haru tilted her face forward slightly, Akira meeting her halfway in a chaste, gentle kiss. They somewhat reluctantly pulled apart a few seconds later, sleepily gazing into the faint reflections of light in each other's eyes.

"Perfect," Akira hummed. "If I managed to ruin the morning of the most important person in the world on her birthday, I doubt I'd ever forgive myself."

Haru's eyebrows perked up at the statement. "That's right…" she mused. "Today is the fifth, isn't it…?" She'd nearly forgotten about it till now. That was the reason they'd initially stayed in Hawaii till now in the first place.

"Don't entirely blame you for that," the raven-haired man mumbled. "Doesn't exactly feel like December here, after all."

"I suppose that certainly influenced it." Haru peeked her eyes past Akira's head toward the curtained window overlooking the beach, mentally tracing the edge of the light slipping onto the ceiling from behind it. "But even knowing that, I don't feel any older than before."

"Eh. Age is a construct anyway." Akira smirked and reached up to lightly ruffle the back of Haru's hair. She'd grown it a bit longer since high school, the auburn locks now just barely grazing her shoulders. The volume and softness remained consistent, and Akira found himself holding the smirk for a bit longer at the reminder that the two people with the softest hair they knew both ended up together. "What really matters is the growth you've undergone in your heart. And we both know you deserve to be proud of the progress you've made."

Haru's face formed into a cheery smile, grinning softly at her adoring fiancé's affirmation. "I suppose I cannot argue with that. We've both come quite far from where we were when we first met, haven't we?"

"I mean," Akira pondered, grabbing the phone off the nightstand behind him and squinting at the light that illuminated from the screen as he checked the time, "from the looks of it, neither of us have grown into morning people, but we've definitely improved from beaten-down teenagers with self-worth issues."

"I suppose we have each other to thank for that," Haru giggled. "If only I'd known such a future was in store. I'm sure I'd be much more eager to face it than I was back then."

"Maybe." Not bothering to turn all the way back to return his phone, Akira simply dropped it onto the soft covers just behind Haru and returned his hand to her hair. "But maybe it was the idea that things wouldn't be so much better than we anticipated that made it feel even better when a desirable future took hold."

"Perhaps you're right," Haru yawned, pressing another kiss to the faint stubble on Akira's chin. "Either way, what matters is that we're here and happy. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Aw," Akira chuckled back, returning Haru's affection with another short kiss on the lips. "The feeling's mutual, my wonderful Harukuma." With a reluctant sigh, he gently rubbed her back for a bit, then sat up, holding the covers over Haru so they wouldn't be accidentally yanked away and smooching her one more time on the forehead.

"Nooo…" Haru quietly whined a bit at the exit of her favorite human heater, but stayed where she was anyway to retain at least some of the blissful comfort from before. She quickly reached over and grabbed Akira's now unoccupied pillow, squishing it tightly against her and attempting to soak in the lingering heat and scent from where he once was. She was in no way ready to get up just yet.

"As much as I hate saying no to you," Akira regretfully sighed, "it _is_ ten a.m. already. Today's officially your day to do whatever you want us to do, even if it means just cuddling in bed all day." He stuck his feet off the edge of the mattress until he found the floor, hoisting himself up and wandering toward the black suitcase in the corner of the room in his boxers as Haru unapologetically cracked one eye all the way open to watch. "Still, we're gonna be miserable and migraine-infested if we don't eat or drink anything. You at least gotta get up for breakfast."

"I suppose you have a point," Haru sighed, summoning the willpower to slowly lift herself from the cushy pillow and sit upright, slightly hunched forward tiredly and resting her chin in her hand. She still kept her eyes peeled on the view of Akira as he pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts on his way to the bedroom door. For a brief moment, she caught his eyes giving her a once-over of his own, a smile cracking in the corner of her mouth at the sight.

"Alright," he sighed amusedly. "C'mon, hon. I got some stuff from the grocery store to make you a special batch of birthday pancakes and it'd be a real shame if they went cold before you got to 'em…"

"You know I don't take that long to get up," Haru giggled. "But I most certainly can't say no to special celebratory breakfasts!"

"That's the spirit, Birthday Empress!" Akira stuck a thumbs-up back through the door before his arm disappeared back toward the room's kitchenette. "Hope you're ready for a full day of having the absolute crap spoiled out of you, because you most certainly deserve it!"

"Aki-kun," Haru sighed. "As much as I'd love for you to do so, just promise you won't spend too much today. Especially after however much you put toward the ring."

"No worries," he called back. "Won't go overboard, I promise. I believe I mentioned today is your day. Whatever you want, I will happily oblige to."

"Well," she mused, finally removing herself from the bed and wandering over to her own lavender suitcase, "since we're flying back home tomorrow, I would love to go for one last walk around the island."

"Your wish is my command, milady. An island stroll it is." The sound of Akira mixing ingredients together began to reach Haru's ear as she pulled one of her favorite summer tops and a pair of jean shorts from her bag, slipping them on and moving toward the wonderous sounds and smells of her fiancé's cooking. If there was one thing Haru loved about their combined skillsets, it was having two spectacular chefs in the relationship. There was also the assurance that anyone who messed with them wouldn't stand a chance against either, especially combined. That was always a fun scenario to imagine.

She stepped out into the main area of the hotel room and stood behind Akira as he began to gracefully poor batter into the frying pan. Waiting until she was sure it wouldn't accidentally cause a spill of the precious liquid pancakes, she looped her arms around his, resting her chin on his shoulder and watching the soon-to-be-breakfast begin to sizzle against the metal pan.

Akira smiled and nuzzled the side of her head, holding the backs of her hands with his own slightly-calloused palms and bringing them up from their initial resting place. He moved Haru's right arm to rest across his chest diagonally, bringing her left hand a bit further up towards his face and tenderly kissing the ring that wrapped around the fourth finger before bringing it to the same position as the other arm. Haru smiled and twisted her hands a bit, bringing Akira's under her own while leaving enough slack for him to escape and flip the pancakes when necessary.

As they stood there, listening to the stove and basking in the warm, tropical sunlight brushing their backs from the window, Haru found herself gazing back at the ring once again, her mind cycling through the same thoughts as before. This life they had; it was real. She and Akira were really engaged. Hawaii wouldn't stay past tomorrow, but the love and joy they found in these moments wouldn't be left behind. So long as they had this family they were building amongst themselves, they could stay in each other's warmth forever.

And that's when it finally struck Haru.

"Family…"

"Hmm?" Akira turned an eye toward her as he finished flipping the pancakes and set down the spatula.

"I just realized," she muttered. "We really are going to be a family, aren't we?"

"…Yeah," the raven-haired man muttered back, seeming to have just processed the thought himself. "I guess we are, huh?"

"It still feels so… surreal," Haru wondered out loud. "I spent so long without the word meaning anything nearly this positive. Before, all it meant was the Okumura family name and the things I had to face because of it. But now…" She tilted her head a bit to the side, nestling it into the curvature where Akira's neck met his shoulders. "It feels more hopeful. Almost like it used to before my mother and grandfather passed…" She exhaled a sigh, her gaze shifting back and forth between Akira and the ring.

"You ok?" he questioned in evident concern, gently massaging the side of Haru's thumb with his own. "We can change the subject if you feel sad…"

" I appreciate the thought," Haru replied, a somber smile appearing on her lips as she slowly closed her eyes, "but there's no need. If anything I'm… happy. I can finally return my cognition to the way it was before. Back when family meant something pleasant. After all, you and the rest of our friends have been my true family all this time. I'm more than grateful for the warmth you all provided for me since we met. Were it not for your companionship, I wouldn't be in nearly as good a place as I am now."

"I don't think I can possibly express how glad I am to hear it." A smile of his own formed on Akira's face as he turned his head to kiss Haru's hair before returning his eyes to the stove. "If anything, all that really changes is our family is in a legal sense now."

"Still, it means a lot," Haru yawned, still a bit out of it. "More than anything I can imagine right now."

"I'm…" Akira trailed off a bit, trying to find the best way to form his thought. "I'm so grateful you're family to me, Haru."

"As am I, Aki-kun," she replied. "More than you could ever imagine."

The two stood by the stove in comfortable silence, waiting for the pancakes to finish cooking, feeling as warm as they'd ever been. Not from the sun or the heat of the stove. But an internal warmth. One that shrouded their entire being and made everything feel so, so worth what they'd been through to get there. The warmth of love. Of kindness. Of family.

**Author's Note:**

> Hard to believe it's already been a year since I published my first Shuharu fic. I really wanted to add on to my proposal fic since I mentioned they'd be staying until after Haru's birthday, so I took the chance and regret absolutely nothing. Happy 21st to our precious angel floof baby! (granted this taakes place two years later, but still...)
> 
> And for those who are still patiently awaiting the next chapter of Emo Nightmare, do not fear! I've been super swamped with college and currently have like three or four projects due in the next week so it's honestly not in my best interest to spend my whole day on this but screw it. Haru's birthday only comes once a year. As for Emo Nightmare, I plan to do what I can to post by VIRGIL'S birthday on the nineteenth. Because he is also a precious baby and needs a celebratory chapter too.
> 
> To everyone reading this, I hope you have a wonderful month! May you pass all your finals and enjoy whatever holiday is thrown your way!
> 
> With love,  
> Zor
> 
> (p.s. I was listening to this song on repeat the entire time I wrote this. It's so goooooood! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyxKftJszJA)


End file.
